


Even Infinity Must Come to an End

by ohevans (lamisdelabc)



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M, Gen, James Potter is a massive dork, Lily is always in denial for her feelings, M/M, Marauders' Era, Romance, the first war is taking its toll on Hogwarts and the Wizarding World
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-05-23
Updated: 2016-06-01
Packaged: 2018-06-10 06:51:06
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 14,636
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6944230
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lamisdelabc/pseuds/ohevans
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Of course it matters, Evans. The world out there is bleak, and worse every day. All this matters because we've got to create good memories. We're going to leave this place and once we're out there we're in danger. We can't let that weigh on our minds, we have to have some light in the dark."</p><p>Voldemort and the Death Eaters are growing stronger, and the Wizarding World is in turmoil. Within the walls of Hogwarts, students are facing evils they've always been protected from; and yet, they're still being teenagers.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Lily Evans went to America when she was sixteen to visit her cousins in Massachusetts and came back a changed woman. First of all, she truly appreciated coffee now, because they simply did not make tea in America like they did in England, and she needed her caffeine fix; second of all, she realized how much her friends meant to her, because being far, far away from them for a month with only her sister to keep her company was some form of cruel and unusual torture; and third of all, she went blonde.

It was an accident, of course. Her sister had made her angry, teasing her about her red hair and telling her that nobody would ever date her when she looked like a matchstick that had been set aflame (Lily didn’t bother to mention _James Potter,_ who seemed to want to date her in spite of, or maybe because of, the fact that she looked like a matchstick that had been set aflame) (but who also counted for nothing because he was an arrogant, bullying, toerag who, in _her_ opinion, had driven Severus over the edge and was at least partially responsible for the end of their friendship). It wasn’t that Lily even cared if anyone wanted to date her or not (she was perfectly fine without a relationship, thank you very much), it was that Petunia was the way Petunia was, and being that way meant she was now teasing her over something that had taken Lily quite a long time to like about herself. In one day she was managing to undo sixteen years of work, and that was infuriating. Lily had gone to bed seething, and when she woke up her waist length hair was a platinum blonde that matched her sister’s. 

Lily had screamed, she’d cried, she’d shown her mother what had happened, but she had also acknowledged that without magic she wouldn’t be able to get it back to her normal shade of red unless she dyed it, which she was unwilling to do. So Lily had spent the rest of summer vacation being teased mercilessly by Petunia, who regarded it as the height of hilarity that her sister had tried to copy her hair. It didn’t matter how often Lily told her that it was an act of accidental magic, and that she wouldn’t copy her hair if it was a choice between that and dating the giant squid, Petunia continued to mock her, and Lily retreated into stormy silence. 

It was needless to say that by the time summer vacation came to an end and September 1st loomed just around the corner, Lily was eager to get out of her house and return to Hogwarts. Not eager enough, though, to pack any time sooner than the day before her departure. 

“I’m putting in a load of darks, love, do you need anything washed?” Mrs. Evans asked, leaning up against the doorframe.

Lily surveyed the mess in her room—she was currently in the “worse” phase of the “it has to get worse before it gets better” process of cleaning one’s room, and though she had tried to keep things organized, robes and cloaks and uniforms were thrown helter-skelter across her bed and desk. 

“Can you wash these robes for me? I bought new ones when I went to Diagon Alley, last year’s were three inches too short.” Lily handed the bundle of neatly wrapped fabric from Madame Malkin’s to her mother, who placed it on top of the basket. 

“Why wash them if they’re brand new?” Mrs. Evans asked.

“I like the smell of your laundry detergent,” Lily said. 

Petunia appeared over her mother’s shoulder, eyeing the explosion of her sister’s trunk with distaste. “I don’t want any of _my_ clothes washed with any of _her_ things,” she said, nose in the air.

“Merlin, Petunia, they’re not going to contaminate you,” Lily rolled her eyes. “They’re just robes.” 

Petunia hissed at the mention of “Merlin” and disappeared down the hall. Lily fell back on her bed with a sigh. 

“Will she ever stop?” 

Mrs. Evans shook her head at her youngest, pursing her lips. “You know your father and I have tried, but she has no interest. I’m sorry, love. Eventually she’ll realize that you two need each other.” She stroked a lock of blonde hair back from Lily’s forehead and chuckled. “You _are_ going to ask someone to fix that for you, aren’t you?” 

Lily pulled at the blonde strands mournfully. “Of course. Marlene’s a whiz at transfiguration, and if she can’t do it, Madame Pomfrey will.” 

Mrs. Evans smiled and nodded. She kissed her daughter’s cheek and set off to the laundry room. “The Prophet came while you were asleep, I paid the owl and left it on the table for you!” she called over her shoulder. 

Lily looked once more at the disaster in her room, sighed, and went to the kitchen.

 

xx

 

James Potter’s Official Last Night of Summer Sleepover was finally underway. Mrs. Potter had baked homemade pizzas for the boys, and Mr. Potter had stopped by Carmelita’s Sweets on his way home from the office to ensure that they had enough sugar to keep them up all night. Sirius was playing air guitar on the coffee table to a Rolling Stones song, and James was waiting for him to come crashing down. 

“Damn! If only I hadn’t left my guitar back at my house!” he shouted, and jumped down from the table. 

“Thank Merlin for small favors,” Remus said as he came down the stairs. Peter followed him, poorly balancing a tray of sodas that Mrs. Potter had sent down with him. 

“Tell me it’s staying there this year,” he said. “I don’t think I could stand another year of your midnight ballads.” He tripped over the edge of the rug, but before the drinks could go flying Remus whisked the tray out of his hands with the precision and weariness of one who had done it a thousand times before. 

“You know, Wormtail, just for that comment, I think I’ll floo home and get it,” Sirius said. “Actually, now that I think on it, I don’t think Walburga will be too happy to see my face. The only reason she hasn’t flayed me alive then hung my pelt up on the wall is because I’ve been here. Maybe I’ll just write Reg and tell him to bring it.” He stretched out on the couch, pondering his options. 

“How is Regulus getting to the station tomorrow?” James asked. “Are your parents going to bring him?”

“Well, that would mean they would have to run the risk of seeing my “disgraceful face,” and I’m not sure they’re up for that,” Sirius said.

“What did you do this time?” Remus sighed. 

“Well, back in July I supposedly ruined Orion’s birthday dinner by calling my Uncle Cygnus a nasty old wanker, telling Aunt Druella that she would make a perfect maid for the Muggles that live down the way, and telling Bella that I’ll send her flowers when she’s rotting in Azkaban,” Sirius ticked these feats off on his fingers. “I’m missing something… Oh! I also set fire to the family tree tapestry. Again.”

“You got in trouble for telling Bella that you’d send her flowers?” Peter cocked his head to the side. 

James rolled his eyes. “I think it’s more the fact that he told her she’d be rotting in Azkaban, Pete. Finish your story, Padfoot." 

“Anyway, according to Walburga and Orion, those things are—” here he paused and cleared his throat, then put on his best Orion Black persona. “‘Not necessary, true, or at all acceptable, and you, young man, are going to find yourself dead at the hands of the Dark Lord and I won’t feel sorry for you.’” Sirius coughed again. “So anyway, I packed my trunk and flew here on my this wicked bike that Allan tricked out for me, and made it in time for supper. Mr. and Mrs. Potter said I’m welcome to stay here, so I’m not going back. You know, I think I will write Reg to bring my guitar. James, can I borrow Paul? Len’s off delivering a letter. And Moony, when I get back, I want to hear all about your trip to Germany. You can’t just disappear on us for a whole summer!"

James nodded. “He’s upstairs with Amelie and Winfred. If he’s gone, borrow Amelie, Mum won’t mind. Who did you write to?” 

“Never you mind!” Sirius called, disappearing up the stairs. 

Remus turned to James. “How is he?”

James shrugged. “He says he’s great, that he doesn’t care at all. I’ve been telling him for years to just come live here, but he kept saying he couldn’t leave Reg behind.” James dropped his voice, eyeing the stairs. “But I think what really drove him over the edge was Bella becoming a Death Eater.” Remus and Peter’s eyes went wide. “She came ‘round dinner in July showing off her Mark and everything, and Sirius couldn’t stand it.” 

Peter’s lip trembled. “You don’t think that they’ll, y’know,” he gulped, “ _hurt_ him, d’you Prongs?” 

James shook his head. “If you’d asked me in June, I would’ve said not a chance. They’ve always been crazy about reputation, and you can imagine what a stain that would be. But now… well, things have gotten worse this summer. Even before Sirius came here, he was picking more fights. It wasn’t just the decorations in his room anymore, either; it’s his friends, his ideals, his future… I think that if they reckon Sirius is a bigger stain on the family reputation than the consequences of doing something to ensure that he’s not, they’ll do something.”

“But surely now that he’s out of their house, they’ll leave them alone,” Remus said. “I bet his mum’s already blasted him off the family tree.”

“I reckon so, too, but his last name is Black. And anything that tarnishes the Black family name has got to be silenced.” 

His statement hung in the air, and Peter, Remus, and James sat in somber silence, only broken when they heard Sirius singing loudly above them. 

“Merlin, what’s wrong?” Sirius asked as he came down the stairs. 

“Nothing, mate,” James forced a smile. 

“Are you sure? You all look as if someone told you Dumbledore died or something.” 

“Dumbledore, die?” James grinned. “That’ll never happen.”

 

xx

 

“Remember, Lily, be good—” 

“Don’t forget to write—”

“—stay out of trouble—” 

“—study hard—” 

“—we’ll see you at Christmas.” Mrs. Evans smiled and cupped her daughter’s cheek. 

“We’re so proud of you, darling,” Mr. Evans said, hugging Lily close. “And we love you so much.”

Lily pressed a kiss to her father’s cheek, and then one to her mother’s. “I love you too. I’ll see you at Christmas.”

 

xx

 

“Do you see her anywhere?” James, who was already taller than the rest of the crowd by a whole head, was now standing on his trunk, searching the throng of people on Platform 9 ¾ for the familiar red hair. 

“No, Prongs, I don’t, would you please get down now?” Peter begged, tugging at the hem of James’s sweater. “You look like a fool. I doubt this makes you seem ‘cool and collected’ or whatever it was you were going on about last night.” 

James hopped down and dusted off his trousers, then grabbed his trunk. “You’re right, Wormtail. I just have to play it cool. I can’t act like a fool to get her attention this year, I’ve got to be smart. Smooth. Suave.” 

“A galleon says he’ll make a fool of himself before the day’s done,” Sirius muttered to Remus. 

“I say two before we pull into Hogsmeade,” Remus said. They shook hands.

“Prongs!” Peter said, grabbing his shoulder. “Look! There’s Lily!” 

The three Marauders turned in the direction that Peter was indicating. James scanned the knot of girls standing by one of the doors, his eyes narrowed. No beautiful red head among them, although those green eyes rang a bell in him. Suddenly, it hit him with the force of a freight train.

“Oh…” Sirius’s eyebrows went up. 

“My…” Remus murmured, a note of concern in his voice.

James whimpered. "Blonde."

 

xx

 

“Lily!”

“Your hair!” 

“What happened?” 

Mary, Marlene, and Alice pounced on her the second the door to their compartment slid closed. Marlene, as the resident Tall Roommate, put their trunks above their heads before plopping on the seat and draping her legs over Mary’s lap.

“Do explain, Lils,” she said, leaning forward.

“It was an accident!” Lily said. “Petunia was teasing me, and I let it get to me. I went to sleep angry and the next thing I know, I’m blonde.” She pulled dismally at a piece of hair. “I just want it back to red, and I was hoping you could do it for me, Marly. You’re a wiz with transfiguration.” 

Marlene gave Lily a sympathetic smile. “I appreciate your faith, but I’ve never tried human transfiguration before. I hardly want my first attempt to be your hair. Ask McGonagall when we get to school?”

“I want to fix it as soon as possible,” Lily said. “I _like_ being a redhead. It matches Gryffindor.” 

“You know who’s awfully good at transfiguration, and _also_ likes you being a redhead?” Alice smirked. 

“Don’t you dare say—” 

“James Potter!” the three girls chorused. 

Lily fumed, and her redheaded temper shined through the blonde head of hair. “Under no circumstances am I letting James _fucking_ Potter anywhere _near_ my head. For all I know, he’d try to bewitch me with some stupid spell to make me kiss him or something. No, thank you.” 

“Oh, come on, Lily,” Alice whined. “Frank says he’s grown up a lot over the summer. Maybe this will be the year when you finally realize that you’re made for each other.” 

Lily scoffed. “Fat chance.”

 

xx

 

“D’you think he’s in shock from the fact that Evans is blonde, or the fact that he didn’t recognize the, to quote his fourth year poetry phase, ‘love of his life, light of all his days, shining beacon of fiery hope in the darkness of eternity’?” Sirius asked. 

Remus inspected James, who was sitting straight up on the bench, staring at the opposite wall with his mouth wide open. “It’s hard to tell, but if his mouth stays open any longer he’ll catch a fly in it.” He closed James’s jaw. 

“Oi Prongs.” Sirius threw a salted peanut at him. “Earth to James Potter. Hello? Is my best mate still in there, or is it just a bunch of empty air?” When James gave no reaction, Sirius sighed. “Oh, hey, Evans! Didn’t see you there!” 

James started, and whirled around. “Evans! You look absolutely dash—hey! I thought you said Evans was here?” James glared at Sirius, who was snickering. 

“Do I get two galleons yet?” Remus asked. 

“ _No,_ ” said Sirius. “The bet was he makes a fool of himself in front of _Evans._ He’s always a fool in front of us, if that were the bet I would have given you two galleons thirty minutes ago.” 

James rolled his eyes. “I am _not_ going to make a fool out of myself in front of Evans this year. You heard me, boys! I’m going to be suave and sophisticated. She simply won’t be able to resist me. This, Marauders, is the year that Lily Evans will fall in love with James Potter!” He flung open the compartment door, and marched into the aisle. 

“It would be a lot more believable if he hadn’t said that every year for the past five years,” Remus muttered to Sirius and Peter. 

“Nah,” said Peter. “It wouldn’t be believable even then.” 

“Where’s he going?” Remus asked. 

“Probably to make a fool of himself in front of Evans,” Sirius replied, and followed.

 

xx

 

James made his way down the train until he came upon the compartment he was looking for. He flung open the door and threw himself inside, and the rest of the Marauders were made to squeeze in the already very full room so that the Trolley Witch didn’t run them over. 

“Get _out_ Potter! This compartment is already full!” Lily Evans shrieked. 

Sirius peered around James’s shoulder. “Evans, darling, lovely to see you! I must say, this new shade looks odd on you, care to explain?” 

“I’m going through my punk rock phase, Black,” Lily said sardonically. 

“You might want to try something darker, in that case,” Sirius said. “Maybe purple?” 

“James!” Mary grinned. “Just the person we were hoping to see!” 

Lily put her head in her hands as James grinned broader and squished himself into the seat next to her. The rest of the Marauders maneuvered themselves into a slightly more comfortable arrangement. 

“I assume you’re Quidditch captain?” Marlene asked, with interest. 

“Too right you are, my favorite Chaser!” James said. “I assume you’ll be rejoining us this year?”

“Of course!” Marlene grinned. She high-fived Sirius and James, and Lily glared at her. 

“Traitor,” she hissed. 

“Oh stop your Quidditch talk,” Mary said, waving a hand. “James, as you can see, Lily has gotten herself into quite the predicament here, with the blonde hair and all. We were wondering if you happened to know how to do human transfiguration, yet?” 

James swiveled to look at Lily, his grin stretching from ear to ear. “As a matter of fact, MacDonald, I _do_ know how to do human transfiguration! I found myself interested in it, so I borrowed some books from the library and practiced last year. Would you like my assistance, Evans?” 

“No,” came her reply, muffled by her hands over her face. 

“Aw, come on,” James crooned. “I like redheads better than blondes, anyway.” 

“In that case, maybe I’ll keep it this way,” Lily spat. 

Mary rolled her eyes. “Oh, stop it, Lily. Just let James fix your hair.” 

“Yeah, Evans, let him fix it!” Sirius called from Marlene’s lap. 

Lily looked to Remus for help, but he was avoiding her eyes by staring at their trunks, pretending to read the stickers covering Alice’s. 

“Let him fix it, let him fix it, let him fix it,” Sirius and Peter chanted, quickly joined by Marlene. 

“ _Fine!_ ” Lily shrieked. “Fine. Potter, just, fix it.” 

“Gladly,” James grinned. “We’re going back to blue, right?” 

“ _Potter!_ ” 

“Only joking, Evans, only joking!” He extracted his wand from his sleeve, and the compartment fell silent as he concentrated. Lily screwed her eyes shut and held her breath, waiting for something to explode.

“Done,” said James. She opened her eyes and looked at her hair, once again red, then at him, grinning proudly. “Told you I could do it.” 

“Well,” Lily said, trying to maintain her dignity. “Thank you very much. I appreciate your services. Now, if you’d see yourselves out, we would like to get back to our conversation.” 

“As you wish,” James said, standing and going to take a sweeping bow. On his way down he smacked his head on the luggage rack, and swore loudly. 

He went red, and with an awkward wave stumbled out of the compartment with the rest of the Marauders roaring with laughter behind him. 

“I’ll take my two galleons,” Remus said.

 

xx

 

“Yeah. He’s really ‘grown up.’” Lily snorted. 

“Oh, come on, Lils,” Alice smiled. “He _did_ fix your hair for you.” 

“I could have gone to Madame Pomfrey,” Lily said lightly. 

Alice rolled her eyes. “But you let him do it.” 

“Irrelevant.” 

“He has gotten taller, you know,” Marlene said, letting the shade in their compartment down. “It suits him.” 

“Please, he’s like an overgrown puppy. He doesn’t know how to control his limbs,” Lily scoffed. 

“Was it just me or did he look broader, too?” Mary asked. 

“Sirius did write me this summer, he said they were practicing Quidditch at the Potter’s house loads over break!” Marlene said. “Imagine what his muscles look like underneath his robes—” 

“ _Enough!_ ” Lily yelled. “I do not want to imagine James Potter without his robes! I don't want to imagine James Potter at all!” 

“If you say so,” Alice sing-songed. Marlene and Mary broke into gales of laughter, and Lily glared out the window, toying with a lock of red hair.

 

 

 


	2. Chapter 2

“What did it just say?”

“I’m sorry, but if the damn hat wants me to be friends with a Slytherin, it’s got another thing coming.”

“Do you think it knows the future?”

“Of course it doesn’t know the future, Andrea, it’s a hat.”

Lily glanced around the Great Hall, her brow furrowed. Judging from the whispers and the delayed smattering of applause, she wasn’t the only one troubled by the Sorting Hat’s odd song. Its usual cheery description of the four Hogwarts Houses had been replaced by a troubled message, warning the students to band together in the face of the dangerous climate outside the walls of Hogwarts. Despite the candles floating near the starry ceiling, the room felt a little bit darker, and there was a chill in her skin that belied the last tendrils of summer warmth that clung to September 1st.

Professor McGonagall cleared her throat from the front of the room, and the murmurs quickly died away. Her expression said “not now” as she eyed the four house tables, and unrolled the scroll of first years.

“I can’t see Elliot,” Marlene muttered, searching the line of small eleven year olds for her younger brother.

“There,” Lily pointed. “Halfway down the line.”

Elliott was searching for his sister, too, and when he made eye contact he gave her what Lily guessed was supposed to be a smile. It looked more like a nervous grimace, and she grinned at the memory of her own sorting. Her smile didn’t last long, though, as she remembered how much Severus had wanted her to be in Slytherin, and the way his face had fallen a fraction of an inch when the Sorting Hat and called proud and true “GRYFFINDOR!” Lily bit her lip and shook her head. Severus wasn’t her friend anymore, and there was no need to pine for him.

By the time she looked back up, McGonagall was calling out “Collins, Evenia!” and placing the hat on the girl’s head. Her black hair disappeared beneath it, and the Great Hall waited in silence.

“RAVENCLAW!” bellowed the Sorting Hat, and Lily clapped as Evenia Collins shakily walked to the table next to the Gryffindors. McGonagall called another name, and Lily gazed absentmindedly around the room as a tiny orange-haired boy climbed atop the stool.

Her eyes fell on the Marauders, down at the end of the table closest to the front of the Hall. James Potter was, for once, not making a fool of himself. He was raptly watching the Sorting, a small smile playing around the corners of his lips. When “Denzel, Dylan” was sorted into Hufflepuff he clapped politely, and then returned to looking at the first years quietly. Next to him, Sirius put his head on his plate, and Remus frowned disapprovingly at him from the seat across from him. Peter, like James, was watching the sorting, although his eyes looked more vacant than James’s.

Lily shook her head. She was not in the habit of analyzing the Marauders, nor did she want to be. She glared at them as though it was their fault she had spent so long staring at them, and directed her attention towards the other side of the room.

On the other side of the Ravenclaws, Frank Longbottom was making faces at Alice from the Hufflepuff table. Lily turned to her friend, who was giggling into the palm of her hand. She smiled and looked at Marlene, who was anxiously biting the nails of her left hand, staring at the line of first years.

“Marly,” Lily murmured, tugging Marlene’s hand out of her mouth. “Stop that, you’ll be upset tonight when we try to paint our nails and yours are all bitten down.”

“I can’t help it,” Marlene whispered back. “I’m nervous for him. What if he’s not in Gryffindor? Cadence, Oliver, and I all were, and so were our parents.”

“Then maybe he’ll be just as happy somewhere else,” Lily said. “Look at Sirius—his whole family’s been in Slytherin, but he loves it here. It’s a matter of who you are, not your family. He’ll be sorted wherever he’s meant to be.”

Marlene nodded, but her leg continued to bounce with nerves. When McGonagall called “McKinnon, Elliot,” she went still all over, and Lily crossed her fingers under the table. The hat barely touched his head before it yelled “GRYFFINDOR!” and the Gryffindor table went up in cheers. Sirius and James clapped Elliott on the back as he passed them and fell into the open seat next to Marlene.

Lily smiled and whispered her congratulations to him as McGonagall continued the Sorting.

Across the Great Hall, the Slytherins had their attention focused on “Nott, Atticus,” and Lily’s insides twisted into a knot of discomfort. His older brother had been named in the Daily Prophet as an ally to Voldemort and dangerous man. She tried to put aside her dislike, but she noticed that there was much less applause from the Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Gryffindor tables as Atticus Nott joined Slytherin’s ranks.

He sat next to a familiar face, and Lily felt a pang of hurt when she looked at Severus. He was skinny and grey as ever, his black hair almost touching his shoulders, and his thin-lipped half smile uncomfortable. Lily couldn’t help but notice that he seemed disinterested as Mulciber nudged his arm and laughed. When he caught her staring, she quickly looked away, clenching her fists at the feeling of tears pricking her eyes.

She didn’t need Severus. She would move on.

xx

“Is it over yet?” Sirius groaned, softly, and dragged his hands down his face.

“Four more, then you can eat,” Remus replied. “And stop doing that, you look like a banshee.”

“I’m wounded, Moony!” Sirius whispered in mock hurt. “How could you ever compare me, the most handsome man on the face of the Earth, to a banshee?”

“Well you certainly sing like one, mate,” James grinned and patted his back.

Sirius gave him a withering look. “I can’t believe you, of all people, have turned on me.” He placed his head back on his plate, but quickly jumped up to cheer when “Zaneeta, Shoya” was sorted into Gryffindor.

“Finally!” he roared amongst the yells. “Let’s eat!”

Dumbledore stood and Sirius got down off the bench, staring at the headmaster with the utmost attention. A twinkle in Dumbledore’s eye told them, though, that he had heard Sirius’s cry, and thus he kept his speech short.

“I think that my start of term announcements will have a better effect on a full stomach,” he said, “and so, all I have to say is: dig in!”

The feast appeared and Sirius fell upon it with rabid hunger.

“You’re disgusting,” Remus told him.

“’Oo ‘ove me,” Sirius replied through a mouth of chicken.

“How ‘bout the Hat’s song, though?” James interrupted. “I’ve never heard it give us a warning before.”

Remus shrugged. “I suppose if it thinks we need one, it would. And given the way things are going outside Hogwarts, I think we need one.”

Sirius swallowed. “Enlighten us, Moony.”

“This war doesn’t look good for us,” Remus said. “People like me, people like Lily… well, people who aren’t purebloods, Sirius.” He sighed, and ran a hand through his hair. “People are always looking for an explanation for their problems, and Voldemort is giving them one. Hate the Muggles, hate the Muggleborns, hate anyone who isn’t of some kind of Wizarding descent. Hate anyone who isn’t like him. Blame all the problems on them, and suddenly there’s a solution: get rid of the them. People are really buying into it, especially after the crash a decade ago. Everyone lost faith in the government then, and the ones who are in charge remember that. So they think a guy like Voldemort has the right ideas, getting rid of the Muggles, putting someone new in charge, turning over a fresh leaf.”

“Yeah, we know all that,” Sirius said, though he was thoughtful. “Reading the Prophet will let you know why the government is shit. But why is the Sorting Hat telling us to be all buddy-buddy with the Slytherins?”

“Have you ever heard of the phrase ‘united we stand, divided we fall?’ Basically, if we band together, Voldemort will have a harder time taking hold. Our strengths lie in each other.”

Sirius eyed the Slytherin table across the Hall. “I don’t think that lot want anything to do with us. I bet you some of them are just like Bella, they’ve already got Marks.”

“Regardless,” James said. “Moony has a point. We have to stick together.”

Sirius rolled his eyes. “’Course we’ll stick together. What could possibly come between us?”

xx

The Great Hall quieted instantly when Dumbledore stood, and Lily turned to face him.

“Is it just me or does he look more serious than usual?” Alice murmured. Mary nodded her agreement.

However, nothing in Dumbledore’s speech suggested anything out of the ordinary. He cautioned them to stay away from the Forbidden Forest, and reminded them that magic was prohibited in the corridors, and if they wished to see what else was prohibited in the corridors, they had best take a look at the list posted to Filch’s office door. With a cheery smile he waved them off to bed, and Lily herded the first years into a line.

“Hi, Lily,” Remus said, fighting his way through the crowd to her side.

“Remus!” she hugged him. “It’s good to see you. How was your summer? How was Germany?”

Remus smiled. “Excellent, I brought back a book on German potions, I’d be happy to lend it to you if you’re interested.”

“Absolutely! First years, this way!” Lily and Remus marched the gaggle of eleven year olds out of the Great Hall and into the Entrance Hall. Remus introduced Nearly Headless Nick as he glided by with the Fat Friar, and explained the magnificent hourglasses set into the wall.

“Lily! Lily!” Lily turned to see who was calling her name, and scowled when she saw Severus trying to get her attention. She raised her chin and marched in the other direction, leading the first years to Gryffindor Tower. Their eyes went wide when she gave the Fat Lady the password, and the portrait swung open to reveal the common room.

“This,” she said, spreading her arms, “will be your home during your time here. The common room is great for gathering, less great for napping, and awful for studying, unless you get it at a quiet time. To your left are the boys’ dormitories, and to your right are the girls’. Off to bed, now!”

The group split and disappeared up the staircases, and Lily sank into an armchair by the fire.

“You look stressed, Evans, in need of a neck rub?”

Lily scowled at James Potter, and followed the first years to her own dormitory.

xx

“You take too long in the bathroom, Padfoot!” Peter whined. “I’m hungry, and we’re going to be late for breakfast!”

Sirius threw open the door and strode to his bed. He pulled on his robes, and yanked the sheets off of James.

“Oi!” James yelled, trying to drag them back. “It’s cold out there!”

“We’re going to be late for breakfast, and Peter is hungry,” Remus said from across the room.

“Get up you lazy arse,” Sirius said. He picked up a white button down shirt and inspected it. “Is this yours or mine?”

“Mine,” James grumbled, snatching it out of his hands and pulling it on. He tugged his trousers up and looped a tie around his neck, to be tied later. “Where are my robes?”

“Ripped, from when you tried to use them as a hammock last night,” Remus said. He tossed him the pile of black fabric, and James hastily mended them with his wand.

“Alright, alright, we can go to breakfast now,” he announced.

“We could have gone without you,” Sirius said.

“Why can’t you get ready that fast?” Peter grumbled.

“Because this,” Sirius gestured to himself, “takes time, dear Wormtail. You can’t rush perfection.”

“Walk faster,” James said, and Sirius glared at him.

The Great Hall was filled with chattering students, and here and there among the crowd, a silvery ghost. When James stood in the doors, he couldn’t help but smile. He loved the Potter Estate, with its cozy kitchen lined in white cabinets, windows overlooking the grounds. He his mum’s omelets with ham and cheese and garden fresh vegetables in the morning, and the chocolate chip pancakes on weekends when his dad cooked. He loved being at his home in the English countryside; but nothing compared to the high, enchanted ceiling of Hogwarts. There was nothing like the hidden passageways, the rooms that were tucked away behind tapestries or walls only pretending to be walls. Hogwarts never failed to take his breath away.

“Potter?” Professor McGonagall tapped him on the shoulder. “Potter! Are you going to take a seat so that I can give you your schedule, or would you like to keep staring at the Great Hall?”

James shook his head and grinned. “Only staring at Professor Dumbledore, Professor. Don’t you think that shade of blue looks dashing on him?” He winked, and Professor McGonagall rolled her eyes.

“Go sit with the rest of your hooligans,” she said, pointing to Remus, Peter, and Sirius halfway down the table.

“Right, yes ma’am,” James said, and hurried away.

xx

“Lily, m’dear!” Professor Slughorn boomed, pulling her into a bone-crushing hug. “It’s wonderful to see you! Did you get the copy of Practical Potioneer that I sent to you? I thought you might find that article on sleeping draughts fascinating.”

Lily beamed. “It was, Professor! I never thought of crushing the Sopophorous bean. I’m sure that most people are too cautious to try it—press too hard and you’d probably run the risk of getting the shell mixed in too.”

“Too right you are, m’dear!” Slughorn said, chuckling. “You are a clever one, Lily, and I’ll be damned if I don’t see your work published before the time you’re twenty-five.”

“Oh, Professor, you know I’ve got my sights set on being an Auror. I can’t imagine I’ll have much time for casual potion brewing.”

“An Auror, pish-posh. A noble profession, most certainly, but a dangerous one, too. You’re too brave for your own good, Ms. Evans.”

Lily smiled and took her seat at the front of the room. The NEWT potions class was small; Lily counted two Slytherins, five Gryffindors, three Ravenclaws, and two Hufflepuffs. An uncomfortable weight dropped into her stomach when she saw Severus at the other end of the front row, staring at her. Lily searched for Alice, who had abandoned her to sit next to Frank, and started to panic. She didn’t know what she would do if Severus came to sit next to her—that would be too much like before. Just as he seemed about to get up to move, a tired book bag dropped on the table next to her.

“Is this seat taken?” Remus asked.

“It’s all yours,” Lily said with a smile. She noted with annoyance that James and Sirius threw themselves into chairs at the table behind them. She should have known that accepting one Marauder meant accepting all of them.

“Where’s Peter?” she asked.

“History of Magic,” said Remus. “He’s never been much of a Potions person.”

Lily saw with satisfaction that Severus had sunken back into his seat, and Avery had taken the one next to him. Slughorn tapped the board with his wand and the recipe for the Draught of Living Death appeared upon it.

“Watch your quantities, note your temperature, and keep a steady hand, students!” he called as they set to work.

xx

“That was awful,” Sirius said as they filed into the mostly empty Great Hall after Potions. “My Sopophorous bean would yield any juice.”

“It wasn’t so bad,” Remus said.

“We can’t all be geniuses, Moony. ‘Sides, you had Evans help you, of course it wasn’t too bad.”

“I’ll have you know she didn’t help me at all, but her potion did turn out a right sight better than anyone else’s.”

“Oh, don’t you go on praising Evans, too, Moony. It’s bad enough that we have to listen to Prongs wax poetic about her.”

James chose to ignore this comment, and let Sirius and Remus get to their light bickering while he searched the incoming crowd of students for Peter. He waved him over, and Peter took the seat next to Remus.

“How was Potions?” he asked.

Sirius opened his mouth to say something snarky, but James waved him down.

“Boys, I’ve had an idea,” he said.

Sirius’s frown turned into a wicked grin in a matter of seconds. “An idea? I love these. Do share, Prongsy.”

Peter and Remus leaned in to hear as James dropped his voice. “A map.”

“A map?” said Sirius. “What about a map?”

“We make one, you dolt,” said James.

“A map of what?” Peter asked.

“Hogwarts, obviously, what else?” said Remus.

“Yes, Moony, you get my drift! But not just any map, Marauders, a map of the whole castle. Secret passages and all. Think about it! Who knows Hogwarts better than we do? We’ve got my dad’s Invisibility Cloak, and more talent between the four of us than we know what to do with. We can even do the grounds.” He raised his eyebrows. “What do you say?”

Sirius considered this idea. “I say, that is an excellent idea, Prongs. A map to aid in our mischief!”

“A Marauder’s map,” Remus chuckled. “It does have a ring to it.”

“But will it be just an ordinary map? Surely someone’s already done that,” Peter said.

“Of course it won’t be ordinary!” said James. “Besides having all of Hogwarts—the secret passages, the grounds, everything—we’ll enchant it. We’ll make it show Hogwarts as it changes; it’ll show the moving staircases and the new classrooms. And the people.”

“The people?” Sirius asked.

“The people! Everyone walking around Hogwarts at all times. Who they are, where they are, where you shouldn’t be. It’ll be the most useful tool to breaking the rules since the Invisibility Cloak!”

“That’s an awfully ambitious bit of spellwork you’re talking about there, James,” said Remus.

“I’m not concerned,” said James. “The Marauders have yet to meet a spell that we can’t figure out.”

xx

“You four look awfully suspicious over here, muttering to yourselves. Are you gossiping?” Marlene teased, taking the seat next to James.

Lily scowled at her friend, forcing them all to eat lunch over here, but sat next to Remus anyway.

“What would there be to gossip about? It’s the first day of school,” said James.

“We could always create something,” Sirius suggested.

“No!” came seven other voices. McGonagall glared disapprovingly at them from the head table, and Sirius waved sheepishly.

“Relax,” Sirius said, once McGonagall had gone back to her lunch. “I was only joking. I’m not ready for a scandal this early in the year.”

“Maybe we could make without any scandals this year,” Lily said.

The Marauders, Alice, Mary, and Marlene looked at her. “We go to Hogwarts,” Marlene said.

“Right, right,” she muttered, turning back to her plate. “Fat chance.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I would love feedback, so let me know your thoughts!
> 
> find me at maraudersing.tumblr.com x


	3. Chapter 3

James focused his strength into his hands and pulled the handle of his Nimbus upward, climbing out of the dive a second before it turned disastrous. The end of September meant the first Quidditch match of the season was approaching in just two weeks, and he could feel his nerves mounting in the pit of his stomach. His first year as Captain meant that he had to prove to the whole school that he was good enough for this. He rose steadily into the air, surveying his team flying around him. Marlene and his other two chasers, Antonio Ramirez and Janet Yu, were passing the Quaffle with exquisite coordination, but had not yet managed to score on his new Keeper, fourth year Ian Clancy; James hoped that this was a testament to Clancy’s skill and not his Chasers’ lack thereof. Sirius and Annie Landon were batting Bludgers to each other, and doing an excellent job. James knew that he had nothing to worry about; he had put together the strongest lineup he’d seen in his years at Hogwarts. He scanned the sky again for the Snitch, spotted it hovering down near center field, and in ten seconds was grasping it in his hand.

“Alright, everyone, great practice!” he called, rising to meet his team in the center. “Slytherin doesn’t stand a chance. Go get some dinner, and stay on your toes this week. I wouldn’t be surprised if they come after you.” 

His team descended, dismounted, and disappeared into the showers. Sirius appeared at his shoulder while James locked up the balls.

“Here,” Sirius said, shoving the Bludger that they had been using for practice into its spot, and strapping it down. “You're distracted. What’s wrong?” 

James shook his head. “Just nervous, you know? First match as Captain, I’ve gotta prove to you guys that I can do this.” He left out the part about proving it to the rest of the school. Six people were more than enough to worry about, and thinking about the other three hundred made him feel slightly ill. 

Sirius clapped him on the back. “Don’t worry. I know you’ll be brilliant, mate. You’re the best Seeker Gryffindor’s had in a century, and Parkinson’s complete shit. Slytherin lost their edge three years ago when Malfoy graduated, and this is the strongest lineup I’ve seen since Hufflepuff back in our first year with Diggory as their Captain.” 

James gave Sirius a small smile. “Thanks, Pads. We should go visit Moony. If I’m tired after last night, I’m sure it’s nothing to what he’s feeling.”

Sirius whooped. “Last night! Last night was _incredible_! The best full moon we’ve had yet. I never _dreamed_ there would be a nest of Acromantulas in the Forbidden Forest—no _wonder_ old Dumbley tells us to keep out every year! _And_ no one got stuck in their Animagus form. Although, I have to admit, I do quite like being a dog. There’s something very freeing about it, y’know? No responsibilities, no worries. Nobody can get mad at you for being a dog.”

“Maybe Marlene’d like you better as a dog,” said James.

Sirius scoffed. “Mac and I aren’t doing that this year, we reached the conclusion back in June that the whole ‘relationship’ thing isn’t for us.”

“You never had a ‘relationship’ to begin with,” James pointed out. “You hooked up in the supply shed by the Ravenclaw end of the pitch on Mondays and Wednesdays after practice.”

“And Saturdays—” Sirius corrected.

“My bad, and Saturdays—which for the record is _beyond_ me how she could stand being near you after practice without a shower—”

“Which brings me to the rest of my sentence. We hooked up in the showers, not in the supply shed.”

James looked disgusted. “Which number?”

“Four. It’s her lucky number.”

James was relieved. He always used shower seven, which he found was his lucky number. Or, it was the number on his Quidditch robes, at least.

“Anyway,” continued Sirius, “my point is, Mac and I decided that we’re just going to be friends, this year.”

James snorted. “Right, so if it’s not Marlene, then who’s it gonna be? I refuse to believe that Sirius Black will go a whole year without some conquest.”

Sirius pretended to consider as he unlaced his boots and tossed them into his locker. “Hmm… Maybe I’ll go after Evans. She’s awfully pretty, y’know.” He cackled as James glared at him. “I’m only joking, Prongs, I know she’s your thing. I’ve never liked redheads much, anyway. They remind me of my Aunt Druella.” He made a face.

“She’s not _my_ thing,” James said. “She’s a person, who I happen to have liked for several years.”

“And who happens to have absolutely no interest in you whatsoever. Wait, I take that back. She _does_ have an interest in you—in insulting you!” Sirius chuckled at his own (not at all) witty reply, and James gave him a withering look.

“It’s a step up from the way she ignored me all third year,” James said.

“I dunno, mate, I think ignorance is a bit better than insults.”

“Bullshit. I’ll take her acknowledgement over her cold shoulder any day. At least now I know she notices me.”

Sirius sighed. “When are you gonna give it up, James? Find another girl. Evans isn’t worth it.”

“This isn’t _like_ that, Sirius, and you know it,” James said. “I really like her.”

“How do you know? You’ve never even been on a date with her.”

“I just _know._ ”

“You just _know._ ”

“Yep.”

Sirius laughed and shook his head. “Right, mate, but when you finally realize that chasing Evans isn’t worth it because she’s always going to hate you, I reserve the right to say ‘I told you so.’”

“Never gonna happen, Pads.”

“If you say so, Prongs!” Sirius sang. He yelped when James snapped his towel at him on his way to the showers, and leaning up against the locker, he grinned to himself. “Did I say we hooked up in shower four? Silly me, I meant to say seven!”

Sirius cackled as a strangled yell came from shower seven.

 

xx

 

Lily stopped short of the last bed in the hospital wing, the one with the curtains drawn tight around it, and clutched the extra-large box of Chocolate Frogs to her chest. She took a deep breath to steady herself, and walked the rest of the way.

“Remus?”

The bed was silent, but she saw Remus’s shadow go still behind the curtains.

“Remus, I brought you some notes from Herbology today.”

More silence, and Lily knew that Herbology notes wouldn’t cut it. She took a deep breath and steeled herself to tell the truth.

“I-I know.”

There was a strangled moan from the bed, and Lily screwed up her eyes.

“I know, and I don’t care.”

A pause, then—

“What did you say?”

Lily sighed with relief. “I said that I know, and that I don’t care.”

Another pause.

“Can you come in?”

Lily rushed through the curtains, and threw her arms around Remus. He grimaced, and she instantly leapt back.

“Oh, I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to hurt you, I just, oh _Remus_.”

He stared at his lap. “Who told you?”

“No one. I’m smart.”

Remus laughed, a hollow sounding chuckle. “I should have known someone would figure it out. Do you want me to leave, then?”

“What?” Lily scrunched up her face. “Remus! Didn’t you hear me just say that I don’t care?”

“Even the people who say they don’t care really do.”

“Your friends don’t,” Lily pointed out. “Black, and Pettigrew. And Potter.”

Remus considered this. “No… I guess they don’t. But I wouldn’t expect you to be okay with a monster living in your tower.”

Lily rolled her eyes. “You wear sweater vests. You do your homework. One time you set a spider free instead of killing it, even though Black was on a desk demanding its corpse. You’re not a monster, Remus.”

Remus shook his head. “I don’t know how you can say that, Lily! I could _kill_ someone!”

“For maybe seven hours a month, you could kill someone. So what? I’ve got a wand, I could kill someone whenever I wanted.”

“It’s different.”

“Well, yes, in a way, but it doesn’t change who you are, Remus. You’re a fifteen year old boy, and you are my friend.”

“How long have you known?”

“Since the end of last year.”

Remus exhaled. “And you didn’t tell anyone?”

Lily shook her head. “Not a soul.”

“Thank you, Lily.” Remus met her eyes, and finally smiled. “I’m sorry that I thought you would care. I’m just not used to people responding so favorably to my… _condition._ ”

Lily passed the box of Chocolate Frogs to him. “I don’t care, Remus, really. Besides, I can’t afford to alienate you, who would sit next to me in Potions and save me from Snape?”

“James would,” Remus teased, and Lily scowled.

“I’m sure Potter would love to play my knight in shining armor, but unfortunately for him, I neither need nor want him to.”

Remus considered this. “James can be a bit… much. But he means well.”

Lily scoffed. “He means well my ass. If he really meant well he’d stop blowing up suits of armor on Halloween, and enchanting the mirrors to tell me that he loves me every time I walk past them.”

Remus chuckled softly. “That was one time, Lily. You're too hard on him, he’s a sixteen year old boy.”

“Exactly.” Lily turned her nose up in the air. “So he can stop acting like a twelve year old any day now.”

“He’s done a lot, still being my friend,” Remus pointed out.

“He’s met the bare requirements of a decent human being,” Lily said. “James Potter is an arrogant, entitled, troublemaking _prat,_ and the day I date him will be the day pigs fly.”

Remus cleared his throat, and nodded behind him.

“I do so love it when you say my name, Evans, dearest,” James said, raising an eyebrow. “The day pigs fly, you say?”

“I—you— _Potter!_ ” Lily spluttered. “How long have you been standing there?”

“Long enough for you to give me an ultimatum, my flower,” James grinned. “Pigs’ll be flying in no time.” He crossed his arms and made to lean against the curtains, forgetting that they were on wheels, and went crashing to the floor. Sirius and Peter roared with laughter while James untangled himself from the fabric.

“Merlin help me,” Lily muttered, stepping over the mess of six-foot-four boy and curtain and storming out of the hospital wing.

 

xx

 

 

Once James had righted himself, and the curtain, and had apologized profusely to Madam Pomfrey for making a ruckus in her (as he pointed out: near empty) hospital wing, he turned to Sirius.

“Can your guy get me some pigs?”

“James, _no_ ,” said Remus. “This is not a good—”

“James, _yes,_ ” said James. “This is brilliant. She gave me an ultimatum, and I’m going to make it happen. She’ll be so stunned by the lengths to which I have gone that she’ll fall to her knees and _beg_ me to take her to Hogsmeade.”

“You know,” said Sirius, lounging across the foot of Remus’s bed, “I think you gave us this exact speech in fourth year when you flew your broom up to Gryffindor tower and released a crate of doves into her dormitory on Valentine’s Day.” He clapped his hands and grinned. “I am all four this plan.”

“James, trust me, I really think this is a bad plan—”

“Have no fear, Moony, my brilliance simply cannot be deterred today. Padfoot, tell your guy that I’m going to need no less than twenty of his cleanest, pinkest pigs by no later than next Saturday afternoon.”

 

xx

 

When Lily Evans had told Remus Lupin that she would date James Potter the day pigs flew, she never actually expected James Potter to make it happen.

Granted, the second she realized that he had _heard_ her say it, and had even followed up with (what she counted as) a threat to make pigs fly, she should have realized that he would follow through with it.

Still, even when she entered the entrance hall at breakfast time on the following Sunday to the sound of screaming coming from the Great Hall that could _only_ be accompanied by a harebrained Marauder scheme, she was unprepared for the havoc inside. She had contemplated bypassing the Great Hall completely, going for a walk around the lake to reflect upon her first month of classes, but she couldn’t resist seeing the idiots get what they deserved, and so she entered.

Havoc it was indeed, as forty plump, pink _pigs_ soared around the Great Hall with feathered wings. Lily’s eyes widened at the sight of the ridiculousness of it all—students running past her out of the Great Hall with their breakfasts left half finished on the table, McGonagall, Slughorn, and Flitwick standing open mouthed at the pigs soaring in and out of the open windows, and the pigs, the _pigs_ , pink against a pale blue September sky, oinking and squealing as they ran into one another with newfound flight; and what was worse, was every single one of them had the words “GO OUT WITH ME LILY EVANS” emblazoned in black on its sides. And there, in the middle of the breakfast table, eating breakfast as if nothing at all out of the ordinary was occurring, sat the Marauders.

It made her so angry she could scream. She stormed over to the four of them, and Remus, at least, had the decency to look abashed as he stared determinedly at his plate of scrambled eggs.

“ _You!_ ” she shrieked.

James stood and turned to her, grinning. “I made pigs fly, didn’t I, Evans? What d’you say? Go to Hogsmeade with me?”

Lily seethed. “If you think that enchanting a bunch of pigs to fly makes me want to go out with you, you’ve got another thing coming you stupid, insolent, _arrogant_ asshole!”

James crossed his arms. “Aw, come on, Evans, I don’t think that’s fair. Look at what I did for you.” He spread his arms and raised his eyebrows. “You have to admit, it’s impressive.”

“ _Impressive?_ You want me to tell you that your stupid _prank_ is impressive? It’s obnoxious! It’s rude! It’s disrespectful, it’s infuriating, and it’s fucking unnecessary, just like you!” Lily stomped on James’s foot with every ounce of strength she had, and stormed out the door.

 

xx

 

James stared after her in shock. McGonagall, Slughorn, and Flitwick finished vanishing all of the flying pigs, and McGonagall came to their table.

“Detention, all of you,” she sighed, wearily, and the four boys nodded mutely. James sank back into his seat, staring at his plate.

Peter opened his mouth to say something but Sirius raised a hand to silence him. He and Remus shared a look, and then turned to stare back at James.

“Tough luck, Prongs,” Sirius muttered. “But maybe next time if we—”

James just shook his head. “I’m gonna go for a walk.” He got up and left without finishing his breakfast.

“He can’t actually have thought that would work, could he?” Peter asked. “We knew right from the start what kind of reaction that was going to get.”

“He’s blind when it comes to Evans, Wormtail,” Sirius spat. “Stupid, fucking, red-headed Evans.”

“Still, he should have known that was going to upset her,” Remus said.

“Of course he did! That’s why he does it! He wants a rise out of her! He thinks it’s cute or something when she screams at him! But she didn’t have any right to go bloody off on him like that!”

“Sirius, Lily has been having a really difficult year. Her sister’s been giving her a really hard time, and then the whole Snape business—”

“Boohoo!” Sirius shouted, and everyone in the Great Hall turned to look at him. “Let’s all weep for Evans because her sister’s a prick and she finally realized her best friend is a racist! Cry her a fucking river! That’s no reason to tell someone that they’re ‘unnecessary,’ especially to their face!”

“Sirius, lower your voice,” Remus begged.

“No! I don’t care! I want everyone to hear!” He spun to face the rest of the Great Hall. “Do all you lot hear me? Nobody gets to call someone unnecessary, no matter how fucking angry they are!”

“Mr. Black!” Professor McGonagall shouted. “ _Detention!_ ”

Sirius raised his hand in acknowledgement and stormed out of the Great Hall.

 

xx

 

Lily was seething under the oak tree by the Black Lake, her knees tucked to her chest and tears trailing down her cheeks. Stupid James Potter, making her look like a fool and a jerk in front of the rest of the school. Stupid James Potter, asking her out all the time and making her feel stupid. Stupid James Potter, with his stupid hair and stupid face, pulling stupid pranks for attention and turning her into some stupid joke.

She was tearing grass up from the ground and throwing it into a pile when Sirius came raging down the hill and stopped in front of her.

“ _You_ ,” he snarled, “have no regard for other people’s feelings, and are an fucking hypocrite.”

“Fuck off, Black,” Lily deadpanned.

“I won’t! You scream at my best friend, call him ‘ _unnecessary_ ’ in front of half the school, and now you’re out here making daisy chains and pretending like none of it matters!”

Lily stood, her hands clenched in fists. “I’m not making ‘daisy chains’ you prick, and I’m not pretending like it doesn’t matter! This is just how it works between Potter and me, Black, and you know that! He does something stupid, I scream at him, he gets over it, and the cycle repeats! So buzz off and leave me alone.”

“I can’t believe you,” Sirius spat. “You go on acting all high and mighty, saying that James is arrogant and egotistical and a bullying toerag, or whatever, and then you have the audacity to call him ‘ _unnecessary_!’”

“Do you know what it feels like, to be made a fucking joke of every time you walk in the room and James Potter is asking you out for the whole world to hear? Once, okay fine, twice, maybe, but all the fucking time for the past five years! It hurts, Sirius, it’s humiliating! It makes me feel foolish! And then when I scream at him for it, everyone goes and takes _his_ side! Well I’m tired of it, okay?” She threw a clump of grass at him in her frustration.

Sirius rolled his eyes. “Right, Evans, well from now on we’ll all just walk around working our damnedest to preserve your sense of honor, over here. Whatever.”

“Why’re _you_ so worked up, anyway?” Lily snarled. “It’s not you I screamed at. Potter will move on, and it’ll happen again, so back off.”

Sirius just shook his head and glared at her. “Because nobody should be called unnecessary, Evans.”

 

 


	4. Chapter 4

Severus Snape noted with satisfaction that nearly one week after the incident with the flying pigs the Marauders were still quiet and withdrawn. In fact, all of Gryffindor house was quiet and withdrawn. Gryffindor house had not had a quiet moment in the five years that the Marauders had been at Hogwarts, and Severus found that he quite liked the bunch shutting up once in a while. Without James Potter and Sirius Black wreaking havoc on the rest of the school, they had nothing to boast about.

No, this last fight between James Potter and Lily Evans seemed to have knocked the wind right out of their sails.

Severus couldn’t help but have his spirits bolstered by that, too. Since he and Lily had parted ways last June she had grown closer to the people within her own house and Severus had worried that that camaraderie would include James Potter. Last week’s row in the Great Hall had proved to him that he had nothing to fear—Lily Evans would never fall for James Potter, and he still had a chance to fix their friendship.

And so, it was with a definite spring in his step that Severus made his way through the empty halls of Hogwarts towards the Owlery. His footsteps echoed in the silence of Saturday afternoon, and the sun was making a feeble effort to shine through the clouds that accompanied the end of September. All of the students were in the Great Hall, eating dinner and clamoring with the sort of excitement that only comes with the first Quidditch match of the year. He adjusted the clasp on his cloak to make it more secure, but the threadbare cloth did little to keep out the chill of impending autumn.

xx

 

Lily scanned the walls of yellow eyes and rustling feathers, searching for her owl. Agatha was still asleep, her head tucked under her tawny wing, resolutely ignoring Lily and her desire to send a letter.

“Fine, if you’re going to ignore me, I’ll just borrow one of the school owls!” Lily called, hoping to spur Agatha into action. No such luck as she kept her head down, leaving Lily to her devices. “Great,” she mumbled, “even my bloody bird hates me.”

“First sign of madness is talking to yourself, Evans.”

Lily jumped and looked around; James Potter was leaning against the door to the Owlery, regarding her in a way that wasn’t harsh or hungry, it just was.

“’Course, it could be the second,” he said, when she didn’t respond. “The first might be talking to birds.”

Lily snorted, and then looked at her feet. She couldn’t pretend that what she had said to Potter in the Great Hall hadn’t been weighing on her mind since then, and here was her chance to apologize, standing before her in a Gryffindor Quidditch sweater and stupidly tight trousers.

“I suppose you’re right, Potter,” she said. “Maybe I am mad.”

“That would explain why you keep turning me down,” he teased.

“Nah, that’s not madness, just devotion. I’ve been in a relationship with the Giant Squid this whole time.”

James laughed and Lily’s heart unclenched a fraction at the sound. She had been worried that their row had permanently broken him, and though he might annoy her endlessly, she hadn’t been aiming to _break_ him.

“Don’t you have a Quidditch match to get to, or something?”

“Wow, Evans, I didn’t know you cared about Quidditch. Or me.”

“It’s all anyone talks about,” she said. “And I do like watching. Quidditch. I like watching Quidditch.”

“And me,” James grinned, and Lily rolled her eyes. “D’you need help?” he asked, and then quickly added, “With your owl, I mean.”

Lily glared in the direction of Agatha, who had awoken from her nap and was gazing at Lily with mild interest. Lily whistled and beckoned her again, but to no avail. She sighed. “Can you get her down for me?”

James smiled and stepped forward. “That tawny, there?” he asked, taking an Owl Treat from Lily’s hand. He reached out a hand, offering the treat, and Agatha stepped lightly onto his arm.

“Traitor,” Lily muttered to the bird when he set her on the ledge. She ruffled her wings and gave Lily’s finger an affectionate nip as she tied her letter to her leg and sent her off. When Lily turned around, a magnificent snowy owl had fluttered down to land on James’s shoulder. He was stroking its head and cooing softly.

“This is Paul,” James said. “He’s my owl.”

“Funny name for a bird,” Lily said.

James shrugged with his right shoulder, careful not to disturb Paul on his left. “There’s a Muggle band that I like. They were big about ten years ago, but I think their music is great.”

“The Beatles,” Lily said.

“Nice one, Evans,” James smiled. “I forget, you’re Muggleborn, of course you would know them.”

“My Dad has all their records,” Lily said. “That’s who I was writing to. My Dad, it’s his birthday.”

James looked at her in surprise. “Funny, that’s who I’m writing to. It’s my Dad’s birthday, too.”

They fell into an easy silence as James tied a scroll of parchment to Paul’s leg. Lily chewed on her lip, playing an apology on loop in her head. She knew she looked stupid dawdling there when she had spent the last five years trying her hardest to not be within a ten-foot radius of James Potter, but she couldn’t help it. Sirius had been right when he told her that nobody deserved to be called unnecessary.

xx

 

James felt like he was going to faint. Actually, he felt like his nerves were on fire, his blood was singing, and his heart was pumping loud enough that someone was probably able to hear it from the moon, but all of that basically equated to feeling like he was going to faint.

He couldn’t remember the last time that he and Lily Evans had had a conversation that hadn’t dissolved into screaming, yelling, and jinxing within ten seconds, which was probably because it had never happened. He kind of hated himself, still practically drooling over her (he’d checked, there wasn’t any _actual_ drool) even after what she’d said to him last week, but he couldn’t help it. Sirius, after hearing the story of how Fleamont Potter had wooed Euphemia during their time at Hogwarts, had once said that James was genetically predisposed to make a fool of himself in front of redheads, but James disagreed; he was sure that he was emotionally predisposed to always making a fool of himself in front of Lily Evans.

He hoped that his hands weren’t actually shaking while he tied his letter to Paul’s foot, and that it only seemed that way to him. He snuck a glance at Lily and for the first time in his life, he was relieved that she wasn’t watching him, but staring out the window at the Forbidden Forest. Her lip was caught between her teeth and she was worrying it back and forth; James repressed the urge to kiss her, knowing that leaning in towards her lips would not win him any favors.

“So,” he said, and thanked his dead ancestors that his voice didn’t crack. “I should probably get down to breakfast. Eat before the Quidditch match, and all.”

“Wait, Potter, I—I want to apologize.”

James felt his heart clench. Lily Evans apologizing to him somehow felt wrong, when he was the one who had egged her on so much, but he nodded mutely instead of contradicting her.

“Nobody deserves to be called unnecessary, or unworthy, or any of those things, and I should never have said that to you. You made me angry and I didn’t think, and I’m sorry.” She stared at the floor, and quickly glanced up at him.

James was speechless for a second. Whenever Lily Evans apologized to him, she usually found a way to sneak a witty insult into the comment, but this was whole, and genuine, and his heart gave another painfully loud thump in his chest.

“Are—are you going to say something, Potter?” she asked, her eyes searching him with concern, now.

James shook himself. “Err—right. Evans, I—thank you. Your apology, it means a lot. And I think I owe you one, too. I’m sorry for bothering you, and being an obnoxious nuisance, and hitting on you all the time. I realize that it’s rude, and that I shouldn’t have let it go as far as I did.”

Lily had surprise written all over her face, and James noted how nice it looked on her. He wanted to see that more often, but this kind of surprise. Not the kind of surprise she had when he turned the Charms corridor into a swimming pool, or when he and Sirius pretended to duel for her honor in the courtyard, but the kind of surprised that she looked now, when he genuinely apologized.

“Does this mean you’re going to stop asking me out?” Lily teased.

“Not a chance,” James said, grinning. “Not until you say yes, Evans.”

Lily rolled her eyes. “Christ Potter, you’re going to be asking me out until the day I die, then.”

He winked. “You’ll say yes before that.”

“I highly doubt it.”

“I’ve never been wrong yet, Evans.”

“Okay, okay, hotshot, let’s get you to breakfast. I’m sure your team wants your leadership.” She took a step towards the door, and promptly tripped on a raised board in the floor. With reflexes honed by hours of Quidditch training, James reached out and caught her by the arm.

“Why, Evans, if I didn’t know any better, I’d say you were falling for me,” he murmured.

xx

 

Severus thought he was going to be sick. He thought he was going to be sick right there, all over the Owlery floor, and this time it had nothing to do with the smell of owl shit and dead animals.

This time, it had everything to do with James Potter and Lily Evans having a real life, civil, pleasant conversation not twenty feet away. He stood in the empty doorway to the Owlery and stared in horror as Lily _apologized_ to _James Potter_ , and thought his eyes would pop out of his skull when she actually teased him. Lily Evans did not _tease_ James Potter. Lily Evans _loathed_ James Potter. Lily Evans screamed, yelled, kicked, and swore at James Potter. Often, Lily Evans jinxed James Potter. Lily Evans did not let James Potter catch her from falling, and then laugh at his stupid joke.

Severus let the door slam, and felt a savage pleasure when they jumped apart.

“How touching,” he sneered, stalking over to where five school owls were roosting. His anger startled them, and they soared away before he could get one down to deliver his letter.

Behind him he heard Potter cough.

“I didn’t know you two were mates now,” he said, staring at the empty roosts before him. “I expected better of you, Lily.”

“I expected better of you, Snape, than to turn out the way you did.”

Her words stung, but Severus didn’t retaliate; he deserved them. Instead, he faced James, who was standing by Lily, unsure of what to do with his hands.

“Bet you just love playing the good guy, Potter,” he hissed. “Apologizing like you won’t do it again.”

“Leave him alone,” Lily snapped, disdain dripping from every syllable. Severus bit down on the inside of his cheek. “It’s not his fault we’re not friends anymore. You made that decision all on your own.”

Lily stalked out the door and, after a moment in which Severus was sure that James was going to hex him, James followed. The door shut and Severus punched the stone wall of the castle.

Stupid Potter, thinking he could just waltz into Lily’s life and be her friend after years of tormenting them. Stupid Potter, earning himself into her good graces by just an apology. Stupid Potter, with his Quidditch Captaincy and his broomstick and his messy hair. Severus hated the thought of him. Lily was wrong, it was his fault their friendship had collapsed. Potter, pushing all the time, encroaching on something sacred until it popped.

He shook his head and bribed an owl down with a treat. Once his letter was tied on he sent the owl soaring away to Lucius Malfoy, confirming their meeting at the next Hogsmeade weekend.

xx

 

“All right, men,” James said, clapping his hands together.

“And women,” Marlene pointed out.

“And women,” James amended. “We’ve been training, we’ve been eating right, we’ve been practicing formations that nobody else would dream of doing, and we’re ready for this. If we keep on our game, stay focused, and fly well, the Slytherins don’t stand a chance of beating us.”

His team clapped and then stood, slapping each other on the backs and grabbing their broomsticks from the rack. Sirius stalled, pretending to be clipping a bent twig from the tail.

“I watched you service it last night, Pads, don’t try and hide from me,” James murmured, adjusting his robes in the mirror and picking up his Nimbus. “What’s wrong?”

“Nervous,” Sirius shrugged. “I want to beat them.”

James lit up with an easy grin. “We will.”

Sirius narrowed his eyes. “You’re awfully cheery. Something happen?”

It was James’s turn to shrug, now. “I talked with Evans. She apologized, and we had a civil conversation. I’m taking it as a win.”

Sirius cracked a smile, and thumped James on the back.

“’Atta boy, Prongsy,” he said, grinning. “Way to bounce right back. Now let’s go win us a Quidditch match, and we’ll find you a nice bird to snog at the after-party.”

"Did you not hear me, Pads?" James asked. "Evans apologized. I don't need another bird." 

"You could always do with a snog." 

James rolled his eyes. “We’ll see.”

“We’ll see my ass,” grinned Sirius. “Sofia Stanton has had her eye on you since last September, and I’m sure she’d be—”

“Oi!” hollered Marlene from the line. “If you two lovebirds would quit snogging back there, Hooch wants us to walk out on the Pitch!”

James and Sirius grinned, shook hands, and took their places in the line.

It was time to play Quidditch.

xx

 

“He’s a bit of a showoff, isn’t he?” Lily said to Mary as Sirius did a backflip on the Quidditch Pitch.

“A cute showoff,” Mary commented. Lily rolled her eyes.

Remus smiled. “He likes the attention,” he said.

Lily watched as James and Ash Parkinson shook hands. Lily had to admit, with his daunting height and broad shoulders outfitted in his scarlet Quidditch robes, James Potter did cut an intimidating figure on the Pitch. The players mounted their brooms and fourteen blurs of red and green sped off around the pitch.

The crowd was overwhelmingly red and gold, and a chant of “GO, GO, GRYFFINDOR!” sprang up almost immediately. Sirius blew a fourth year Hufflepuff a kiss before whacking a Bludger with enough force that the _crack_ rang through the stadium. The Bludger went after Chaser Rosier of Slytherin, forcing him to drop the Quaffle and roll to avoid it. Marlene seized it and sped off in the opposite direction, and a wave of noise rose from the Gryffindor supporters.

“And that’s Marlene McKinnon of Gryffindor speeding down the pitch with the Quaffle in hand—a nice pass to Ramirez, who, according to Captain James Potter, has been flying magnificently in practice—and there goes Ramirez towards Captain Parkinson of Slytherin—he shoots—HE SCORES! That’s 10-0 to Gryffindor!”

An enormous cheer erupted from the stands, and Lily jumped to her feet with everyone else, caught up in the excitement.

Quidditch stops for nothing, though, and commentator Joyce Andrews had to shout to be heard over the noise.

“Rosier from Slytherin streaking down the pitch! He passes to Avery, who drops it down to Eldritch! The Slytherin chasers are working seamlessly, coming up to Gryffindor Keeper Ian Clancy! Eldritch shoots—SAVED by Ian Clancy of Gryffindor! That’s a new addition to the team there, folks! And they’re off again—Eldritch takes the Quaffle—and some nice Bludger work there by Black from Gryffindor—that’s right folks, brother of Regulus Black, Slytherin Seeker—clearly Quidditch runs in the Black family! Anyway, McKinnon, headed back towards Parkinson, she takes the shot and—OH! Parkinson saves it! No go, Marlene!”

Lily groaned as Marlene shook her head and took off down the pitch, taking off after the Quaffle. The match continued in similar fashion for another half an hour, until it was 50-40 to Gyrrindor, and the fans were hanging onto their seats. Henry Voynitch of Slytherin beat a vicious Bludger towards Annie Landon, and she was flying precariously, holding her bat with her uninjured arm and barely managing to control her broom. Lily gasped when it seemed like she was going to fall, but before Madam Hooch could blow her whistle, Jordan let out a yell.

“The Seekers are in the game!” He shouted, pointing unnecessarily to where James and Regulus were speeding towards the Gryffindor end of the pitch. “That’s Captain Potter of Gryffindor on a Nimbus racing Black of Slytherin on an Airstreak! They’re neck and neck—can anybody tell if they’ve actually seen something? Oh, Merlin, they’re going to crash!” Lily stifled a scream, because it really did seem like they were going to crash right into one of the golden hoops, but James swerved quickly, his hand raised triumphantly over his head, the Golden Snitch clutched in his fingers. Regulus just managed to scrape by the hoop, a tear on his shoulder the only evidence of the near collision, and was shaking his head bitterly. “GRYFFINDOR WINS!” Jordan shouted as the Gryffindor team landed in a heap on the ground.

Supporters ran to meet them, Remus and Peter leading the charge to their friends, and the seven were quickly lost under a mass of red and gold.

 

xx

 

James grinned and shook hands with yet another second year Gryffindor at the after-party. He opened a bottle of Butterbeer for him and ruffled his hair as the second year sped off towards his friends.

“Nice one, mate,” Peter said, again. “That catch was amazing!”

Remus smiled, amusement twinkling in his eyes. “Tell him that again, Wormtail, won’t you?”

“He deserves to know, Moony!” Peter shot back. “That catch was _amazing,_ Prongs!”

James grinned and clapped Peter on the shoulder, taking another swig of his Firewhiskey. He was pleasantly drunk, not so much that he couldn’t walk but enough that his judgment was probably questionable, and he pulled Peter and Remus into a hug.

“I just love my friends,” he said.

Remus extracted himself and ruffled James’s hair. “We love you too, mate.”

Sirius joined the group, throwing himself onto James’s back. “Oi, Prongs, see that girl over there? No not there, _there_.” He pointed towards Sofia Stanton, who was waving her fingers at James from across the room. “She _really_ wants to snog you. I say you get over Evans by doing just that.”

“You know, Pads, I reckon you’re right,” James said. He finished off his bottle of Firewhiskey and sauntered over to Sofia.

“This is an awful idea,” Remus pointed out, holding James’s empty bottle.

“Nah, I’m brilliant,” Sirius said, giving Remus an annoyingly loud kiss on the cheek, and disappearing from sight.

xx

 

“Aren’t you going to come to the party?” Alice asked.

“Just a minute,” Lily called from the bathroom. “I’m fixing my hair.”

“Oh!” Lily could practically hear Alice smirking from beyond the door. “Who for?”

“Me, myself, and I!” Lily called back.

“Marlene said that Sirius said that James said that you apologized!” she sang.

“That I did,” Lily said, opening the door and marching past Alice.

“So, do I sense a change of heart?”

“No, you sense a decent person. Nobody should be called worthless, I was out of line.”

“You apologized to Potter, I'd say that’s a change of heart.”

“Yeah, okay, whatever you say,” Lily scoffed.

“He looks awfully good in his Quidditch uniform,” Alice said, leaning against her friend. “You should go talk to him.”

“Of course I’ll talk to him,” Lily said. “We had a nice conversation. Maybe this whole not-fighting-over-everything gig isn’t so bad. I’ll go tell him congratulations.”

“Good!” Alice grabbed Lily’s hand and dragged her out the door before she had a chance to grab her jacket. “Last I saw him he was with his other friends over there.” She pointed towards the table of drinks.

“Saw who?” Marlene asked, appearing at Lily’s elbow.

“Potter,” Alice crowed. “Lily’s had a change of heart!”

“I’ve had no such thing!” Lily protested. “You’re putting words in my mouth. All I said is that maybe we could stop the fighting thing, and that I wanted to tell him congratulations.”

“Well you’ll have to wait until he surfaces for air,” Mary said, appearing by Marlene’s side.

“What?” Lily asked.

Mary pointed to the corner by the staircase to the boys’ dormitory. “He’s over there, with his tongue down Sofia Stanton’s throat.”

Lily felt something unfamiliar in her as she spotted Potter, indeed with his tongue down Sofia Stanton’s throat.

“That’s nice,” Lily said. “I’m going for a walk now.”

Without a further word she pushed her way through the crowd, ignoring Remus’s call to her, and out the portrait hole.

“Where are you going, Ms. Evans?” the Fat Lady called after her. “You should be celebrating!”

Lily didn’t feel much like celebrating. She felt like taking a walk through the castle and figuring out what her brain wanted.

That feeling in the pit of her stomach certainly couldn’t be _jealousy,_ because the very thought of being jealous of Sofia Stanton snogging James Potter was just ridiculous. Lily hated James Potter—or, she at least strongly disliked him, and didn’t even _want_ to snog him. He was perfectly allowed to suck face with whomever he liked.

Lily pushed open the door to the Astronomy tower and was peeved to find someone already there, leaning against the railing.

xx

 

Sirius Black was agitated, and when he was agitated, he liked to go have a smoke by himself and contemplate things; sometimes he contemplated what was agitating him, and sometimes he contemplated something else, but the point was he wanted to think and smoke by himself. He'd ditched the party in favor of the Astronomy Tower, and tonight instead of contemplating why he was agitated, since there were a million reasons, most of them coming back to people whose surnames were "Black", he was contemplating the stars, which, funnily enough, still brought him back to people whose surnames were "Black." The early October air whispered against his skin and snuck under his jacket, but he ignored the chill and blew a puff of smoke to the stars.

Distracting James with Sofia Stanton meant that he could slip away from the party to brood unnoticed, which was what he wanted at the moment.

Naturally, though, one doesn’t always get what they want, and the door to the Astronomy tower creaked open.

“Go away, Moony, I don’t need a lecture about smoking tonight,” he mumbled, exhaling another puff of smoke.

“It’s not Remus,” came a small voice, and Sirius let out a hiss of air between gritted teeth.

“Evans,” he muttered by way of greeting. “What do you want?”

“Can I bum a smoke off of you?” she asked, coming up to lean next to him.

Sirius looked at her in surprise. “You smoke?”

She shrugged. “Tonight I do.”

Sirius handed her a cigarette and his lighter, but her hands were shaking too bad to get the flame to strike. He took it back and lit the cigarette for her, then lit another for himself.

He exhaled, and chuckled to himself when Lily started coughing. “Never done this before, huh, Evans?”

“Shut up,” she muttered. Her next exhale was smoother.

They stood in silence, side by side.

“What brings you up here?” Lily asked, finally.

Sirius grunted. “Thinking.” He let the silence stretch between them again before asking, “You?”

“Thinking,” she breathed.

They lapsed back into quiet again, and in the distance Fang’s barks split the air from Hagrid’s hut. They were silenced a few moments later, and Sirius looked at Gryffindor tower on the other end of the castle; the windows were blazing with light, and he imagined that he could hear the music pumping and the students cheering. The first Quidditch match of the season always brought excitement, especially if it was a win. Sirius exhaled again; his smoke made clouds in the clear sky, and he watched it until they dissipated in the wind.

“I hate the stars,” he finally said. “They remind me of my family.”

Lily stayed silent, but it wasn’t a discouraging silence, so Sirius took it as a sign to go on.

“Every Black is named after a star or a constellation. I’m Sirius the third, technically. Astronomy class is hell when every time Professor Aphelion says anything all you can think of is shitty family members.” He blew out another puff of smoke. “’Course, it means that I’m good at it. When we were kids our governess taught us astronomy and family history, but I could never tell the difference.”

“In the Muggle world they study astronomy too,” Lily said quietly. “My sister once took a class on it. When I came home for Christmas during third year she was talking about the Zodiac constellations, and all this stuff about the brightness of the stars. I tried to have a conversation with her, you know, told her how we study the stars here, too, and what it means to magic. She dropped out of the class when she went back to school.”

Sirius heard Lily’s voice catch in her throat, and he risked a glance out of the corner of his eye at her. She was staring up at the sky, her cigarette dangling from her fingers.

“I think it’s great,” she murmured, “how thousands of years ago people looked at the stars and turned them into stories. They had no idea what they are, or how far away they are, but they made them into something that still exists today.”

Sirius turned his attention back to the skies, tracing Cassiopeia with his eyes. He thought of his bitter great-aunt, and then turned his attention elsewhere.

“You know, Sirius is the brightest star in the sky,” Lily whispered.

“I’m Sirius the third.”

“That just means there are two Siriuses less bright than you.”

They fell into silence again and Sirius finished his cigarette. He reached for another one, and noted dimly that he’d have to write to his guy to send him more packs.

“Why do you smoke?” Lily asked.

“Pisses my Mum off,” Sirius answered automatically. “You?”

Lily laughed, bitterly. “Pisses myself off,” she said.

“I never took you for the self loathing type, Evans.”

“You don’t know me.”

Sirius smirked. “Angst-ridden teenager much?”

Lily laughed again, but it was more good-natured this time. “You’re one to talk, out here brooding about the stars in a leather jacket.”

“Fair point.”

He heard Lily take a deep breath, and watched her finish off her cigarette. Wordlessly he offered her another one. He took her trembling hands in one of his and lit the end of it, and watched as she inhaled a shaky breath with it between her lips.

“You’re getting good at this, for someone who doesn’t smoke.”

Lily shrugged. “I’m a quick learner.” She sighed and ran a hand through her hair, and Sirius narrowed his eyes. “I apologized to Potter. To James.”

“So I heard. He was practically dancing about it in the changing rooms.”

“He was?” Sirius knew that she was trying hard to keep the note of affection out of her voice, but he was too experienced in listening for subtleties to miss it. He ignored it, though.

“Yeah, over the moon.”

“I reckon I owe you an apology too, Black.”

“Nah, Evans. You were right; I shouldn’t have been so bothered. It wasn’t me you were yelling at.”

“No, but I understand now why it hurt you. Being called unnecessary blows.”

Sirius just nodded, and trusted that she saw.

“I was just so _angry,_ and _humiliated,_ and it just slipped out. I meant it when I apologized, but I don’t know if he knows that.”

“Trust me, he does.”

“I hope so.”

Sirius laughed. “Evans,” he said, “have you grown fond of James?”

Lily scoffed. “Please. I just don’t like having arguments.”

“You argue with us all the time,” he pointed out.

“You know what I mean.”

There was quiet except for their breaths until Sirius spoke again. “Well, for what it’s worth, I think he knows.”

Lily shrugged, and Sirius saw gooseflesh on her arms.

“Take my jacket,” he said, shrugging it onto her shoulders.

Lily mumbled a quiet thanks, slipping her arms through the sleeves and leaning back against the railing.

They smoked their cigarettes, and stared at the stars.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Find me at maraudersing.tumblr.com xx

**Author's Note:**

> find me at maraudersing.tumblr.com x


End file.
